Taught By

François Dermange

Professeur d'éthique

Ghislain Waterlot

Professeur d'éthique et de philosophie

Transcript

We've been discussing the ethics of giving. Today, we are going see how such an ethics works in the context of real-life situations. More specifically, we want to ask: how far should our ethical commitment go? What are its limits? As we've learned, ethics, generally speaking, implies either living your life virtuously, in the pursuit of happiness understood as accomplishment; or heeding the call of duty while never using others as merely means to an end; or, if you're a utilitarian, maximizing preferences, not only for yourself but also for society as a whole. Yet can we take things a step further? Should we take things a step further? What would lead us in that direction? To go further, after all, is to expose oneself and perhaps even to give oneself. So how far can we take the ethics of giving? What does it mean to give yourself, and why would anyone do that? The answer, no doubt, must be found in the secret, hidden depth of human relations. The ethics of giving -- this ethics we've defined as fundamentally paradoxical, even impossible -- springs originally from something deep within us, something that calls out to us and takes us further than might seem reasonable at first glance. Ultimately, the ethics of giving implies that I view myself as responsible towards things I am not directly involved in. Thus ethics is inseparable from generosity. It requires, quite simply, a form of love; it says that to love is to give. Ordinarily, human beings naturally give to their children, whom they love, and are capable of great sacrifices for them. We also love our friends, our life partners, etc. But can we love those we don't know, or hardly know? This is the crux, the mystery, of the ethics of giving. Perhaps mystery is not the right word, but in any event this ethics seems to ask for something that goes beyond what reason -- understood not only as pure rationality, but as the faculty we develop as human beings, not only to guide us in life, but also as a tool for self-realization -- can grasp. Let's look at an example. It's a well-known fact that during World War II, many countries under Nazi occupation collaborated with the Germans in the mass extermination of Jews. This was the case in France, in Holland, and many other countries. Yet there is one notable exception: Denmark. A very small country, Denmark was invaded by Germany in April 1940, although things didn't really get bad until about 1943, when the Nazis began to carry out their "Final Solution." The Danish royal family allegedly responded by saying that if Jews were forced to wear the yellow Star of David, they would wear it too, and instruct their entire retinue to do the same. It's been said that the King of Denmark was seen in the streets of Copenhagen wearing a yellow Star of David; but that's apocryphal. In fact, it isn't known for sure whether the royal family ever officially declared they would wear the yellow star and demand that everyone else follow suit. In any event, the Danish reaction put the Nazis in such a difficult position that no Jews in Denmark were ever forced to wear the yellow star. Now, as I was saying, the Nazis decided in August 1943 to implement the "Final Solution" in Denmark. At the time, there were about 8,000 Jews in the country -- a tiny minority compared to Denmark's total population of around 4 million. Yet when the Danes learned of the Germans' imminent plan, there was a massive mobilization of the population to smuggle Jews into the neighboring, and neutral, country of Sweden. Not only did the people of Denmark succeed in this endeavor -- the Nazis were only ever able to arrest about 500 Jews -- they also made sure the property of the families smuggled into Sweden was protected and waiting for them, untouched, in anticipation of their return. The 500 or so Jews who were taken by the Nazis were sent to a concentration camp in Theresienstadt, Czechoslovakia. This camp, sometimes referred to as "Theresienstadt Ghetto," served as a triage station, a sort of temporary hub before prisoners were sent elsewhere -- to places like Auschwitz -- to be exterminated. Not only did the Danish people regularly send supplies, such as clothing, food and other necessities, to the ghetto, but their governement, led by the royal family, were able to obtain from the Nazis the right to visit the camp and inspect its living conditions. Ultimately, when the war finally ended, only 200 to 300 Danish Jews sent to Theresienstadt (out of a total Jewish population of 8,200) died there because of illness. This example, I feel, is particularly instructive, not only because of its exceptional nature, but also in that illustrates perfectly the ethics of giving, and specifically its requirement that we view ourselves, as Levinas wants us to, as our "brother's keeper." History is full of examples of people content to do nothing, or who felt that refusing to contribute in any way to the persecution of the Jews was enough to avoid feeling, or being accused of, immorality or criminality. The majority of people, after all, could say "I have nothing to do with this," or "This is none of my business" -- and they wouldn't be wrong. Many feel that we cannot condemn those who were content to look the other way; that only those who actively took part, in one way or another, in the extermination of Jews are worthy of judgement. Does this mean, however, that we should look upon those who refused to let such an abomination happen in their home countries, under their watch, as aliens from another planet? Are they not, in fact, the best examples we have of true humanity? Think of people like Gandhi, or Schindler (portrayed in Spielberg's hit movie "Schindler's List"), Sister Emmanuelle of Cairo, and so many others. It's very significant that we tend to uphold as models of the most accomplished humanity, not those who always behave in an impeccably ethical manner, but people who have a consistent ability to go beyond what is expected of them. I encourage you to reflect on the significance of the events and people we've been discussing for the past few minutes -- thank you.

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